There’s more theories concerning Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining than there are takes of Jack Nicholson delivering his iconic “Here’s Johnny” line – which is rumored to be well over a hundred. The soon to be released documentary Room 237 tackles just a handful of some of these that range from probable to absolutely ridiculous. To give you a taste of one of the more “creative” topics, one interviewer discusses the cloud design in some of the camera shots. Kubrick was certainly a perfectionist and someone that meticulously planned shots and compositions, but the likelihood of capturing the clouds just right seems a little far-fetched. Fans and historians have given meaning over the years to such specifics as the pictures hung in the hotel. One aspect of the film that is frequently discussed is the opening credit sequence. The Hungarian composer Béla Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and...
- 2/4/2013
- by Michael Haffner
- Destroy the Brain
“Room 237,” Rodney Ascher's quixotic look at Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining” and the elaborate theories surrounding it, is set to hit theatres and VOD later this year, but while the documentary packs in a enormous amount of supposed “answers,” the latest one up for review concerns the film's ominous opening credits, and perhaps comes from a slightly more credible source as well. “The Shining” opens with a series of sweeping helicopter shots slowly tracking Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) and his family's car through the snow-capped hills of Glacier National Park. Contacted by Kubrick then to shoot this second unit footage, camera operator Jeff Blyth recently recalled his experiences of the shoot, but more importantly lent his thoughts on the credits' most disputed shot: A glimpse of the helicopter itself splashed up against the mountains. Was it an accident or Kubrick's intent? “At the time we...
- 2/4/2013
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.